"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." But also "where your heart is, there will your treasure be also."
I am married to someone whose heart is full of banjo music, and so a significant portion of our closet is given up to three banjos, all of which get played regularly. (This in contrast to people who collect instruments but who do not play them.)
Is it stuff or is it a means to an end? A moral or ethical end or vanity?
Nice dishes to set a beautiful table as an expression of love for your family (and because beauty makes you happy) or to impress socially important people? Is the boat there because all your buddies have boats or because boating is something your family loves and being on the water heals your soul in a way nothing else can? Is the retirement account large out of fear or to be responsible and prevent stress on those who will be your caregivers?
When I first got seriously interested in blacksmithing, my neighbor showed up with an old anvil (minus the horn, a common problem), a MIG welder (with shield gas) and other tools as well as scrap metal to practice with. He was involved with mechanical and machine shop management, as well as restoring cars as a hobby and so had access to surplus materials. Needless to say, I was stunned, grateful and overwhelmed.
Much later I found out that someone had done something similar for him when he was starting out, and I have since learned this is a common thing. It is representative of a shared interest and sympathy with the desire to create but the need to pay the bills, a different manifestation of family. Or tribe. I have and will continue to pay it forward.
Generosity begets gratitude which begets more generosity.
I think the discussion around these verses is usually - and unconsciously - about status and vanity, with very little consideration of the actual use to which the money or items are put. 19th century literature, in my experience, focuses on this, which makes sense given the social status of the authors. Joe the blacksmith in Great Expectations is honored for his hard work and decency, not for the value his work brings to the community. Or his intelligence.
When the focus is on status and vanity, again in my experience, people are quite ready to encourage others to buy cheaper goods, smaller vehicles, etc, without any interest in doing an actual cost/benefit analysis.
I value independence, peace and quiet and privacy. Independence stems from skills, tools, knowledge and resources. I want to be able to help people, family and otherwise. I value working with other people and am more inclined to give time than money. (After all, who really knows how wisely that money is spent?)
The things one treasures change with time and circumstance and experience, assuming one is paying attention. At this point, I am really grateful for opportunities to be useful in the community.
ETA: The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
This spring I went through my mom's house in preparation for an estate sale. There are three children, eight grandchildren and three grandchildren-in-law.
She had a lot of stuff, and a lot of stuff from earlier generations,rhat she didn't know what to do with (canceled household checks from early 1950s Georgia anyone?). But also legitimate heirlooms.
I heard "young people don't want that stuff" over and over, and there is a lot of truth in that. There is also a lot of not wanting to be greedy or take something someone else might want.
I found that connecting a particular item with a particular grandchild ("This was the original dish used to serve your favorite fruit salad at Thanksgiving. Want it?") worked.
I also set aside small things for future granddaughters-in-law and things I thought might be better appreciated in a decade or two. If they are wanted, great, if not, that's okay, too.
The biggest lesson learned -painfully, over the years- is to let things go if you can't take care of them. So many things that were collectable, valuable, before they were stored carelessly or moved in a hurry. It is much better to let something go to bring joy to someone else then hold onto it until it is only fit for the garbage.
The thing is: be careful with assumptions: One of the brightest spots came when a friend of one of my nephew's came to help move some furniture. The strapping you man took a liking to two of my mom's budvases and asked if he could buy them. I gave them to him - it would have made her very happy.
Good lessons, thank you. A story - I went to dinner with a friend, to another guys home that I don't know. The other guy is a billionaire. He showed us the home, the 400 sq ft wine cellar dug out of the rock below the house, full of hundreds of bottles of expensive wine - but he doesn't drink much anymore. The home is probably 8000 ft, but he is usually there alone as a second home in the mountains. He flies here on his Gulfstream, often with just him or with his wife. All of that built when he was a super type A oil man, and it seemed that's just what you do when you're winning.
But now he seems actually a pretty good guy, grounded. He's not lonely here, plenty of normal friends he golfs with. He asked us to say a blessing before dinner. His relationship with his (2nd) wife is solid. His kids are all well adjusted and making their own way. He talked about not caring about any of it "it's just stuff", in the context of a fire could take it all away. He talked about a few people he needs to make amends to from his ruthless business dealings. I wondered silently if he would do anything different, but have no idea. It was an interesting evening.
That sounds fascinating. I think there are people who are lucky, being in the right place at the right time, being solid enough in themselves to not be corrupted proportional to the income.
Placido Domingo, everyone. Thor bought a car yesterday: he's being laid off from the job that provided the car, and he needs to get to school and hopefully a new job before too long. He was looking at a Volvo but ended up with a Subaru. He'll need a driver in a few days to take him to pick it up; maybe he can work it out with Sheldon, his roommate.
Forecast is 84Fs, probably won't rain. Epic Fail should mow the lawn.
Good morning. It is 56 degrees in central CO, and that would be lovely, except that we are blanketed in smoke from from the Lee Fire near Meeker that is now over 100,000 acres. Meeker is roughly 80 miles as the crow flies, or the smoke blows. The smoke is the worst I remember. There is no chance of being outdoors. I have the good fortune of leaving for Alaska for a week tomorrow.
Using an app to keep track of fires, you can see there are quite a few within a few hundred miles. A friend that was a close neighbor recently moved out of our (small) valley community to a higher more remote upscale development. The new home has fantastic 360 degree views. But it's well known to be a fire risk, and in the first month they've had to evacuate.
I don't know how much to attribute to "climate change" vs normal variability, but in my short frame of reference, the lack of rain/snow is getting worse.
It's impossible to calculate whether damaging wildfires are due to climate - either Change or just variability - or to poor management, including building expensive houses in brush country.
Probably all of them, but the economic losses are mainly attributable to the expansion of housing construction while leaving the tinderbox environment intact.
One more song of my father. I traced the singing of this song back to a ship in the Korean conflict; a ship on which he served! Maybe he learned it there, maybe he taught it there.
Ohhhh, they spilled out the liquor on the bar room floor
The bar it was closed for the night
And out from the corner crept a little grey mouse
who lapped up liquor with all his might
Ohhhhh, he lapped up the liquor off the bar room floor
and back on his haunches he sat
And all through the town you could hear the mouse roarrrrrrrrr
BRING ON YER DOGGONE CAT!
He sang that to all the grandkids as well, and i sang it to them as well.
For some reason a chorus of a song my father used to sing to me as a child comes to mind. I would giggle as he sang it, his eyes lighting up, his smile full of merriment:
This is probably way too simplistic, but to me it means a person will spend their time and energy on the things that are most important to them. Deep down important. With me I’ve seen that change over time, as I used to spend too much time and mental energy on my jobs, which I usually wasn’t very passionate about. But that allowed me to raise and support my family the way I wanted to, and that has provided tremendous dividends and satisfaction. Now I’m no longer working and have grandkids, and I’m doing my best to play an important part in their lives, with lots of fun, great experiences, and hopefully providing life lessons by example. That’s more important to me than any money or things I’ll leave behind.
I started to add a comment about the difficulties of charitable giving. What is effective (hint - the effective altruists aren't my cup of tea); how does it matter whether it is close to home or something more removed, or even abstract; etc. But I don't have time to do it justice. Maybe I'll think on that some more. The short answer the minister would give, is just to give, and let God worry about how the recipient uses it.
I struggle with that too, and also probably spend too much time wondering if I’m giving my time and talents to the “right” volunteer opportunities, and whether they’re doing the most good. I need to keep reminding myself of your short answer. I’ll never know if it’s the right answer but it seems the best one.
I have to do a will...I just am still not sure what I want to do with my "stuff" (specifically my collectibles)...there won't be any money to give away, and I don't have a life insurance policy, will arrange the funeral stuff separately...but my condo and collectibles have to be considered. As I have no children, grandchildren, nor a husband/BF, the logical choice is my roomie...I will probably leave him the condo and the contents, and he can let my siblings, nieces, and nephews have anything they want from my collections...some want the same things, I suspect, and that might get tricky...lol...anything no one wants can be donated to Good Will, or some of the colletibles can be sold to flea marketers who sell collectible toys.
I am trying to get rid of some things that are not really important anymore, but still usable for someone...Or I don't use it anymore, it is hard, especially the things I am emotionally invested in for one reason or another. But, I have made progress and doing the whole makeover of my bedroom, I especially have purged...
Speaking of which...I got my dresser with the mirror and the nightstand this morning...the armoire I have to reschedule, and the bed is still in limbo( which is what I call it) they call it a "closet chest," which I find weird...lol
But, it is more awesome than the pictures showed. The drawers are deeper, the pieces are bigger, and I don't think I will have any "not enough space issues". And their look and quality of wood is awesome, the mirror is huge, so far, I am happy.
PS: My first treasures are my family and friends, and I definitely lead from my heart; some think too much...But, I also have some cool ones that are not people...lol..which I am emotionally attached to....lol...
A week ago I did a presentation to our monthly meeting about our foundation. A new member of the foundation who didn't do the onboarding meeting (the member is unaware we employ negative screens for companies with values we don't support, like weapons) asked if we had saved too much money for retirement. No one felt they had oversaved, even a 95 year old who is wealthy. They all agreed there are unforeseen things it is good to have some savings for and that quelled the "we have too much money" complaint.
I emphasized the foundation doesn't make spending decisions, just investment ones. I recommended the meeting decide how much it wants to give away, and then we can set that aside in a money market fund. That opened a lot of eyes in the meeting. I recommended we grow the fund, but give away a good portion of our annual earnings (pct tbd). So if the foundations gains $50k next year, give away a good chunk of that, while growing the foundation a bit as well. So we'll see how it goes.
Since Thursday evening I've been at Turkey Run State Park for a Katie family reunion. We had tech issues so I didn't get online successfully until yesterday evening. Katie ran the 2nd annual pickleball tournament, and two cousins won, defeating our youngest (last year's winner) and his partner. We drew partners at random, so we broke up some good teams from last year. The softball crowd was angry because everyone wanted to play pickleball. One issue is the Dad was letting his 12yo daughter pitch, and she insisted on fast pitch, which isn't what you want for a friendly game. But we'll do softball again tonight between the cookout and the hayride. Two cousins are 9 months-ish pregnant, so I asked one to do the pickleball tournament, then go down as if contractions started. I even offered to spill my water bottle near her, to make it more realistic. She declined, out of fear the adults would disapprove. She doesn't know katie's family well! Tomorrow is the big carry-in lunch, expecting 90+ to attend.
We also hacked my youngest's phone while he played pickleball. We changed the background scenes, changed the tone on his phone/text/etc., rearranged tiles, etc.
Of the state parks in Indiana, It's my favorite. Katie's farm is about 15 miles from here, her parent's home (since sold) is about ten miles from here. It has great trails to hike.
During the last eclipse, a former gf of mine (who lives in Wisconsin), wanted to see the eclipse, but didn't want to drive through too many interstates. I asked Katie, who gave her blessing, and my friend watched it from the farm. From Chicago, just take US 41 to US 36 (Rockville), turn right for five miles, turn right, drive for one mile, there's the farm. She called Ed, and old family friend who lives nearby and watches the farm, so he didn't ask her for ID. She was so excited to see it, but doubly excited because there's a Pizza King on US 41 in Rockville! She bought a pizza to eat on the way home!
“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” I think of my family, nature and friends as my treasures. I just looked back to the title, "Someone Will Get Your Stuff" and it made me chuckle. They can have it!
As I approach 73 years of age, I've been debating whether to get rid of all my accumulated stuff (which seems the most moral course) or to simply leave it all for my heirs to deal with...
When I was reading his "Meditations" with my granddaughters a few months ago, they got to where they'd say, "There he goes again, another momento mori!" I'd point out that Marcus was in his sixties when he wrote, quite an advanced age in Roman times, so perhaps he could be forgiven for reminding himself that the end was near.
"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" seems to me to correlate with a lot we have seen lately, about people coming up with justifications for what they unthinkingly committed themselves to by repetition of bad habits and bad decisions. If you focus too much of yourself on material treasures, then you may end up convincing yourself they are the only kind there is.
The way I look at it, the treasures of good character not only continue on earth, but solidify the soul's existence for the next level. Some may read that as sectarian doctrine, but I think it's a concept that's potentially universal, if you don't count atheism.
I think it's possible to believe in multiple phases of human existence without positing a deity or supernatural being. It would just mean "nature" covers more than seems obvious to us, which we already know anyhow.
What you wrote is similar to what the Baha'i lady at the interfaith luncheon said.
so many thoughts/comments, however a timely message came thru to me this morning from a friend...
“Happiness is not getting something but being given to someone“ ... she said she thanks God for giving me to her as a friend... ahhh... & I feel the exact same way in return
Your comment made me think of the "self love" movement. "You can't love others unless you love yourself." Eh...whatever. You want to feel good about yourself then give of yourself to others.
I find I often get more out of giving than does the recipient. My oldest loves the movie "tombstone". I came across a print of a Val Kilmer photo signed by Val Kilmer, saying "I'll be your Huckleberry" (the signature is part of the print, he didn't sign this copy). My oldest grinned when he saw it, and appreciated it. I enjoyed seeing his grin.
I am hooked on one of the better TV reality shows, Treehouse Masters. The head treehouse builder, Pete, is motivated by his enjoyment of seeing the looks on people's faces when they realize he and his team gave them way more than they ever expected. And of course he first does the work of finding out and understanding where they're coming from and what they would like. Getting a big charge out of making other people happy--it's a solid foundation for everything else, like esprit de corps and teamwork, and it's contagious.
Oh good I get to take this opportunity to talk about being a volunteer… I have volunteered my entire adult life (I’m 75) because I learned that lesson from both of my parents. Being a volunteer helps your community, helps the agency, and is excellent for your own personal mental health.
Thanks for bringing this up again! There is so much about it that is relevant to me at the moment. My own aging father's anxiety of his stuff; a good friend whose mother died telling me about the unexpected arguments with his siblings over things sentimental or "valuable"; and my own "stuff".
“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,”
The phrase makes sense when "treasure" is properly understood to be the "treasure in the heaven" though I hope treasure extends to family, especially children that will be the most meaningful thing we can leave to the world.
My friend was telling me that a big trigger for bad feelings between siblings is the journals his mother left behind. Like most families, the kids all had some rough patches, and the journals are the mothers reflections on that. The rough patches in question are adult mistakes, not kids stuff... infidelities, bad money decisions, lifestyle choices, rejection of faith, etc. I see the merits of journaling and if I'm honest I don't do it because I'm lazy. But I would worry about those left behind reading brutally honest inner dialogue. I suppose you could do that in a password protected document, but many would say that writing by hand is much richer experience.
I have years of journals stashed in a box in the top of my closet. My kids would have to pay someone to decipher them, because they're written in cursive 😁.
I had a house full of everything, including things in an attic. I took panoramic photos of everything and sent the videos to my three sons who lived in three different states and told them to pretend like both parents had died, and they were walking through the house and putting Post-it notes on everything that they wanted. And I would get things gathered and sent to them in some form or fashion. They wanted absolutely nothing. Except I had so many books. So many. They each saw the titles of books pretty much from their childhood and each of them chose a few of those. That was absolutely all that they wanted. I had some silver items that I had melted down and made into paper weights for the boys. I had some silver pieces like forks, etc., that I made into shawl pins because I knit and I gave those to my daughters in law and a few others for future granddaughters. Had a huge huge moving sale.That was back in 2015. I have since then downsized numerous times. My now husband and I live very very frugally. Love it & don’t miss stuff.
My parents taught me and my brothers well by not accumulating a lot of stuff, and paring down even more as they aged and downsized. I was surprised when they passed away and I didn’t have sentimental attachments to any items of theirs. I’m not sure that’s good or bad, but I think it’s a good sign that I’m not very materialistic. This was one of many valuable non-material lessons my parents left me with.
We brought only a handful of my mom's things home, other than household items like paper towels and toilet paper, since there was room in the trunk. I would have liked a cross-stitched picture I'd made long ago, but that didn't make it from her condo to assisted living. Oh, well.
Were you surprised they didn't want anything other than the books? Great idea on the silver. I think the younger generations don't like a lot of "stuff" and they have plenty of their own anyway.
What was, to me, hilarious, was my ex thought my oldest son, age 35 at the time didn’t know that he didn’t want the dainty floral China set from ex’s mom … so ex saved that for so I guess for when son would “wake up “ & realize he really did want this, uh, stuff, that couldn’t go in the dishwasher & had to be stored somewhere…
To answer your question, no, I wasn’t surprised they didn’t want the stuff. They wanted to start anew with their own stuff.
"“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,”"
If our treasure is Jesus, then we will be Matthew 25 sheep rather than goats. Not to say we won't screw up, after all sheep are known for excessive stupidity. Not having been given the ability to predict the future we still need to make decisions, based upon our trust in God; and our love for God; decisions which will be different for different folks. It is better to have been (past tense) the younger brother than TO BE the older brother.
But if our god (or treasure) is stuff and/or ourselves, our soul will expire upon our demise on this earth.
So while "the concepts can easily be discussed from a human perspective without needing a religious or spiritual element.", I wonder if the concepts are easily ignored from a human perspective. The "with wisdom and knowledge and skill” or as an expression of other positive attributes — creativity, compassion, patience, perseverance, humor " we exhibit: does it retain its value in this universe regardless of the ultimate outcome?
"I wonder if the concepts are easily ignored from a human perspective."
No doubt, but they're also easily ignored by people who profess religion.
All the good, created things - especially but not only other humans - are to be loved, but loved rightly, as not being the greatest good. All good acts, all that is done in and through Christ, can have lasting value both temporarily, since they can add to the ongoing good of this world, and in the new heavens and new earth to be inaugurated by Christ's return.
".... what we do “with wisdom and knowledge and skill” or as an expression of other positive attributes — creativity, compassion, patience, perseverance, humor — retains its value in the universe regardless of the ultimate outcome."
Yup.
This is a good Saturday morning thought to dwell on.
"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." But also "where your heart is, there will your treasure be also."
I am married to someone whose heart is full of banjo music, and so a significant portion of our closet is given up to three banjos, all of which get played regularly. (This in contrast to people who collect instruments but who do not play them.)
Is it stuff or is it a means to an end? A moral or ethical end or vanity?
Nice dishes to set a beautiful table as an expression of love for your family (and because beauty makes you happy) or to impress socially important people? Is the boat there because all your buddies have boats or because boating is something your family loves and being on the water heals your soul in a way nothing else can? Is the retirement account large out of fear or to be responsible and prevent stress on those who will be your caregivers?
When I first got seriously interested in blacksmithing, my neighbor showed up with an old anvil (minus the horn, a common problem), a MIG welder (with shield gas) and other tools as well as scrap metal to practice with. He was involved with mechanical and machine shop management, as well as restoring cars as a hobby and so had access to surplus materials. Needless to say, I was stunned, grateful and overwhelmed.
Much later I found out that someone had done something similar for him when he was starting out, and I have since learned this is a common thing. It is representative of a shared interest and sympathy with the desire to create but the need to pay the bills, a different manifestation of family. Or tribe. I have and will continue to pay it forward.
Generosity begets gratitude which begets more generosity.
I think the discussion around these verses is usually - and unconsciously - about status and vanity, with very little consideration of the actual use to which the money or items are put. 19th century literature, in my experience, focuses on this, which makes sense given the social status of the authors. Joe the blacksmith in Great Expectations is honored for his hard work and decency, not for the value his work brings to the community. Or his intelligence.
When the focus is on status and vanity, again in my experience, people are quite ready to encourage others to buy cheaper goods, smaller vehicles, etc, without any interest in doing an actual cost/benefit analysis.
I value independence, peace and quiet and privacy. Independence stems from skills, tools, knowledge and resources. I want to be able to help people, family and otherwise. I value working with other people and am more inclined to give time than money. (After all, who really knows how wisely that money is spent?)
The things one treasures change with time and circumstance and experience, assuming one is paying attention. At this point, I am really grateful for opportunities to be useful in the community.
ETA: The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Good day!
On the subject of stuff and offspring:
This spring I went through my mom's house in preparation for an estate sale. There are three children, eight grandchildren and three grandchildren-in-law.
She had a lot of stuff, and a lot of stuff from earlier generations,rhat she didn't know what to do with (canceled household checks from early 1950s Georgia anyone?). But also legitimate heirlooms.
I heard "young people don't want that stuff" over and over, and there is a lot of truth in that. There is also a lot of not wanting to be greedy or take something someone else might want.
I found that connecting a particular item with a particular grandchild ("This was the original dish used to serve your favorite fruit salad at Thanksgiving. Want it?") worked.
I also set aside small things for future granddaughters-in-law and things I thought might be better appreciated in a decade or two. If they are wanted, great, if not, that's okay, too.
The biggest lesson learned -painfully, over the years- is to let things go if you can't take care of them. So many things that were collectable, valuable, before they were stored carelessly or moved in a hurry. It is much better to let something go to bring joy to someone else then hold onto it until it is only fit for the garbage.
The thing is: be careful with assumptions: One of the brightest spots came when a friend of one of my nephew's came to help move some furniture. The strapping you man took a liking to two of my mom's budvases and asked if he could buy them. I gave them to him - it would have made her very happy.
Good lessons, thank you. A story - I went to dinner with a friend, to another guys home that I don't know. The other guy is a billionaire. He showed us the home, the 400 sq ft wine cellar dug out of the rock below the house, full of hundreds of bottles of expensive wine - but he doesn't drink much anymore. The home is probably 8000 ft, but he is usually there alone as a second home in the mountains. He flies here on his Gulfstream, often with just him or with his wife. All of that built when he was a super type A oil man, and it seemed that's just what you do when you're winning.
But now he seems actually a pretty good guy, grounded. He's not lonely here, plenty of normal friends he golfs with. He asked us to say a blessing before dinner. His relationship with his (2nd) wife is solid. His kids are all well adjusted and making their own way. He talked about not caring about any of it "it's just stuff", in the context of a fire could take it all away. He talked about a few people he needs to make amends to from his ruthless business dealings. I wondered silently if he would do anything different, but have no idea. It was an interesting evening.
That sounds fascinating. I think there are people who are lucky, being in the right place at the right time, being solid enough in themselves to not be corrupted proportional to the income.
I can not imagine living that kind of life.
Thanks for sharing.
Placido Domingo, everyone. Thor bought a car yesterday: he's being laid off from the job that provided the car, and he needs to get to school and hopefully a new job before too long. He was looking at a Volvo but ended up with a Subaru. He'll need a driver in a few days to take him to pick it up; maybe he can work it out with Sheldon, his roommate.
Forecast is 84Fs, probably won't rain. Epic Fail should mow the lawn.
I came in 2nd at Wingspan last night. Thor won.
Good morning. It is 56 degrees in central CO, and that would be lovely, except that we are blanketed in smoke from from the Lee Fire near Meeker that is now over 100,000 acres. Meeker is roughly 80 miles as the crow flies, or the smoke blows. The smoke is the worst I remember. There is no chance of being outdoors. I have the good fortune of leaving for Alaska for a week tomorrow.
Using an app to keep track of fires, you can see there are quite a few within a few hundred miles. A friend that was a close neighbor recently moved out of our (small) valley community to a higher more remote upscale development. The new home has fantastic 360 degree views. But it's well known to be a fire risk, and in the first month they've had to evacuate.
I don't know how much to attribute to "climate change" vs normal variability, but in my short frame of reference, the lack of rain/snow is getting worse.
I hope you have a great time in Alaska.
It's impossible to calculate whether damaging wildfires are due to climate - either Change or just variability - or to poor management, including building expensive houses in brush country.
Probably all of them, but the economic losses are mainly attributable to the expansion of housing construction while leaving the tinderbox environment intact.
Thank you! And yes, that's what's happening.
Our family is committed Subaru owners, I think we are on our 6th. The quality/value proposition is hard to beat.
My daughter loves her 2013 Imprezza. I believe she would race it if she could.
He had a Volvo before he got the company car. Sheldon has a Volvo. But Thor seemed pleased with the opportunity for the Subaru.
Good morning. Still cool mild here, but supposed to get humid again for another week. Not as hot and humid as before, thankfully.
Good luck with the vehicular procurement ops.
Thanks. Maybe Drama Queen will turn up a suitable Honda this week.
One more song of my father. I traced the singing of this song back to a ship in the Korean conflict; a ship on which he served! Maybe he learned it there, maybe he taught it there.
Ohhhh, they spilled out the liquor on the bar room floor
The bar it was closed for the night
And out from the corner crept a little grey mouse
who lapped up liquor with all his might
Ohhhhh, he lapped up the liquor off the bar room floor
and back on his haunches he sat
And all through the town you could hear the mouse roarrrrrrrrr
BRING ON YER DOGGONE CAT!
He sang that to all the grandkids as well, and i sang it to them as well.
I asked my oldest what songs he remembered I sang
The little grey mouse
Winnie the Pooh
House at Pooh corner
Appalachian lullaby (Nicolete Larson version)
Sleep, baby sleep lullaby (Nicolete Larson version)
I looked it up, sung to the melody of The Girl I Left Behind me.
Fascinating.
For some reason a chorus of a song my father used to sing to me as a child comes to mind. I would giggle as he sang it, his eyes lighting up, his smile full of merriment:
Don't you ever laugh as the hearse goes by
For you may be the next one to die
They wrap you up in big white sheets
And cover you from head to feet
They put you in a big black box
And cover you with dirt and rocks
All goes well for about a week
Until your coffin begins to leak
The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out
The worms play pinochle on your snout
They eat your eyes, they eat your nose
They eat the jelly between your toes
A big green worm with rolling eyes
Crawls in your stomach and out your sides
Your stomach turns a slimy green
And pus pours out like whipping cream
You'll spread it on a slice of bread
And that's what you eat when you are dead
Oh my.
My mom used to sing me some of those verses, the milder ones. I was only a little creeped out. Still, I don't know what she was thinking.
When my oldest daughter was a baby, this was her favorite song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_FzsUE-Do4&list=RDj_FzsUE-Do4&start_radio=1
The Bellamy Brothers!
I'm a big fan, since the early 80s.
I liked the sound. I thought of it as country-rock.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raE-BvSPmXg&list=RDraE-BvSPmXg&start_radio=1
They also did "Country Rap".
Ha! Well at least there's no "ewww!" involved. Plus there's a moral to the story.
I remember a few lines of that. I think it must be Midwestern, because pinochle.
This is probably way too simplistic, but to me it means a person will spend their time and energy on the things that are most important to them. Deep down important. With me I’ve seen that change over time, as I used to spend too much time and mental energy on my jobs, which I usually wasn’t very passionate about. But that allowed me to raise and support my family the way I wanted to, and that has provided tremendous dividends and satisfaction. Now I’m no longer working and have grandkids, and I’m doing my best to play an important part in their lives, with lots of fun, great experiences, and hopefully providing life lessons by example. That’s more important to me than any money or things I’ll leave behind.
I started to add a comment about the difficulties of charitable giving. What is effective (hint - the effective altruists aren't my cup of tea); how does it matter whether it is close to home or something more removed, or even abstract; etc. But I don't have time to do it justice. Maybe I'll think on that some more. The short answer the minister would give, is just to give, and let God worry about how the recipient uses it.
I struggle with that too, and also probably spend too much time wondering if I’m giving my time and talents to the “right” volunteer opportunities, and whether they’re doing the most good. I need to keep reminding myself of your short answer. I’ll never know if it’s the right answer but it seems the best one.
Perfectionism is a helluva drug. It mainly induces catatonia…
I have to do a will...I just am still not sure what I want to do with my "stuff" (specifically my collectibles)...there won't be any money to give away, and I don't have a life insurance policy, will arrange the funeral stuff separately...but my condo and collectibles have to be considered. As I have no children, grandchildren, nor a husband/BF, the logical choice is my roomie...I will probably leave him the condo and the contents, and he can let my siblings, nieces, and nephews have anything they want from my collections...some want the same things, I suspect, and that might get tricky...lol...anything no one wants can be donated to Good Will, or some of the colletibles can be sold to flea marketers who sell collectible toys.
I am trying to get rid of some things that are not really important anymore, but still usable for someone...Or I don't use it anymore, it is hard, especially the things I am emotionally invested in for one reason or another. But, I have made progress and doing the whole makeover of my bedroom, I especially have purged...
Speaking of which...I got my dresser with the mirror and the nightstand this morning...the armoire I have to reschedule, and the bed is still in limbo( which is what I call it) they call it a "closet chest," which I find weird...lol
But, it is more awesome than the pictures showed. The drawers are deeper, the pieces are bigger, and I don't think I will have any "not enough space issues". And their look and quality of wood is awesome, the mirror is huge, so far, I am happy.
Have an awesome Saturday
I'm glad you like the new dresser and nightstand.
Thanks,they are really cool
PS: My first treasures are my family and friends, and I definitely lead from my heart; some think too much...But, I also have some cool ones that are not people...lol..which I am emotionally attached to....lol...
A week ago I did a presentation to our monthly meeting about our foundation. A new member of the foundation who didn't do the onboarding meeting (the member is unaware we employ negative screens for companies with values we don't support, like weapons) asked if we had saved too much money for retirement. No one felt they had oversaved, even a 95 year old who is wealthy. They all agreed there are unforeseen things it is good to have some savings for and that quelled the "we have too much money" complaint.
I emphasized the foundation doesn't make spending decisions, just investment ones. I recommended the meeting decide how much it wants to give away, and then we can set that aside in a money market fund. That opened a lot of eyes in the meeting. I recommended we grow the fund, but give away a good portion of our annual earnings (pct tbd). So if the foundations gains $50k next year, give away a good chunk of that, while growing the foundation a bit as well. So we'll see how it goes.
Since Thursday evening I've been at Turkey Run State Park for a Katie family reunion. We had tech issues so I didn't get online successfully until yesterday evening. Katie ran the 2nd annual pickleball tournament, and two cousins won, defeating our youngest (last year's winner) and his partner. We drew partners at random, so we broke up some good teams from last year. The softball crowd was angry because everyone wanted to play pickleball. One issue is the Dad was letting his 12yo daughter pitch, and she insisted on fast pitch, which isn't what you want for a friendly game. But we'll do softball again tonight between the cookout and the hayride. Two cousins are 9 months-ish pregnant, so I asked one to do the pickleball tournament, then go down as if contractions started. I even offered to spill my water bottle near her, to make it more realistic. She declined, out of fear the adults would disapprove. She doesn't know katie's family well! Tomorrow is the big carry-in lunch, expecting 90+ to attend.
We also hacked my youngest's phone while he played pickleball. We changed the background scenes, changed the tone on his phone/text/etc., rearranged tiles, etc.
I've been to Turkey Run State Park!
Of the state parks in Indiana, It's my favorite. Katie's farm is about 15 miles from here, her parent's home (since sold) is about ten miles from here. It has great trails to hike.
During the last eclipse, a former gf of mine (who lives in Wisconsin), wanted to see the eclipse, but didn't want to drive through too many interstates. I asked Katie, who gave her blessing, and my friend watched it from the farm. From Chicago, just take US 41 to US 36 (Rockville), turn right for five miles, turn right, drive for one mile, there's the farm. She called Ed, and old family friend who lives nearby and watches the farm, so he didn't ask her for ID. She was so excited to see it, but doubly excited because there's a Pizza King on US 41 in Rockville! She bought a pizza to eat on the way home!
Yeah, it’s a very nice park.
It sounds like a great time is being had by most.
“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” I think of my family, nature and friends as my treasures. I just looked back to the title, "Someone Will Get Your Stuff" and it made me chuckle. They can have it!
Marcus Aurelius was fond of memento mori.
As I approach 73 years of age, I've been debating whether to get rid of all my accumulated stuff (which seems the most moral course) or to simply leave it all for my heirs to deal with...
My daughter has this tattoo. Interesting how you can learn about your kid's inner thinkings through their tattoos. I had never seen nor heard of "memento mori" until I asked her what it was. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/memento-mori-illustration-two-hands-font-2176177037
Very metal.
When I was reading his "Meditations" with my granddaughters a few months ago, they got to where they'd say, "There he goes again, another momento mori!" I'd point out that Marcus was in his sixties when he wrote, quite an advanced age in Roman times, so perhaps he could be forgiven for reminding himself that the end was near.
"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" seems to me to correlate with a lot we have seen lately, about people coming up with justifications for what they unthinkingly committed themselves to by repetition of bad habits and bad decisions. If you focus too much of yourself on material treasures, then you may end up convincing yourself they are the only kind there is.
The way I look at it, the treasures of good character not only continue on earth, but solidify the soul's existence for the next level. Some may read that as sectarian doctrine, but I think it's a concept that's potentially universal, if you don't count atheism.
I think it's possible to believe in multiple phases of human existence without positing a deity or supernatural being. It would just mean "nature" covers more than seems obvious to us, which we already know anyhow.
What you wrote is similar to what the Baha'i lady at the interfaith luncheon said.
I'm not a Baha'i lady myself, but people I know who move in interfaith circles tend to be open to similarities, and to find them.
She was from Iran, said her family left during Shah Reza Pahlavi's tenure.
so many thoughts/comments, however a timely message came thru to me this morning from a friend...
“Happiness is not getting something but being given to someone“ ... she said she thanks God for giving me to her as a friend... ahhh... & I feel the exact same way in return
Your comment made me think of the "self love" movement. "You can't love others unless you love yourself." Eh...whatever. You want to feel good about yourself then give of yourself to others.
I find I often get more out of giving than does the recipient. My oldest loves the movie "tombstone". I came across a print of a Val Kilmer photo signed by Val Kilmer, saying "I'll be your Huckleberry" (the signature is part of the print, he didn't sign this copy). My oldest grinned when he saw it, and appreciated it. I enjoyed seeing his grin.
When you know someone would really like something, and nobody else would know that, a gift is really cool.
I am hooked on one of the better TV reality shows, Treehouse Masters. The head treehouse builder, Pete, is motivated by his enjoyment of seeing the looks on people's faces when they realize he and his team gave them way more than they ever expected. And of course he first does the work of finding out and understanding where they're coming from and what they would like. Getting a big charge out of making other people happy--it's a solid foundation for everything else, like esprit de corps and teamwork, and it's contagious.
Oh good I get to take this opportunity to talk about being a volunteer… I have volunteered my entire adult life (I’m 75) because I learned that lesson from both of my parents. Being a volunteer helps your community, helps the agency, and is excellent for your own personal mental health.
I agree completely.
Thanks for bringing this up again! There is so much about it that is relevant to me at the moment. My own aging father's anxiety of his stuff; a good friend whose mother died telling me about the unexpected arguments with his siblings over things sentimental or "valuable"; and my own "stuff".
“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,”
The phrase makes sense when "treasure" is properly understood to be the "treasure in the heaven" though I hope treasure extends to family, especially children that will be the most meaningful thing we can leave to the world.
My friend was telling me that a big trigger for bad feelings between siblings is the journals his mother left behind. Like most families, the kids all had some rough patches, and the journals are the mothers reflections on that. The rough patches in question are adult mistakes, not kids stuff... infidelities, bad money decisions, lifestyle choices, rejection of faith, etc. I see the merits of journaling and if I'm honest I don't do it because I'm lazy. But I would worry about those left behind reading brutally honest inner dialogue. I suppose you could do that in a password protected document, but many would say that writing by hand is much richer experience.
I have years of journals stashed in a box in the top of my closet. My kids would have to pay someone to decipher them, because they're written in cursive 😁.
I get anxiety over my kids having to go through my "stuff" so I'm trying my best to cull!
Doing that for your kids is one of the best gifts we can give them.
I had a house full of everything, including things in an attic. I took panoramic photos of everything and sent the videos to my three sons who lived in three different states and told them to pretend like both parents had died, and they were walking through the house and putting Post-it notes on everything that they wanted. And I would get things gathered and sent to them in some form or fashion. They wanted absolutely nothing. Except I had so many books. So many. They each saw the titles of books pretty much from their childhood and each of them chose a few of those. That was absolutely all that they wanted. I had some silver items that I had melted down and made into paper weights for the boys. I had some silver pieces like forks, etc., that I made into shawl pins because I knit and I gave those to my daughters in law and a few others for future granddaughters. Had a huge huge moving sale.That was back in 2015. I have since then downsized numerous times. My now husband and I live very very frugally. Love it & don’t miss stuff.
My parents taught me and my brothers well by not accumulating a lot of stuff, and paring down even more as they aged and downsized. I was surprised when they passed away and I didn’t have sentimental attachments to any items of theirs. I’m not sure that’s good or bad, but I think it’s a good sign that I’m not very materialistic. This was one of many valuable non-material lessons my parents left me with.
We brought only a handful of my mom's things home, other than household items like paper towels and toilet paper, since there was room in the trunk. I would have liked a cross-stitched picture I'd made long ago, but that didn't make it from her condo to assisted living. Oh, well.
Were you surprised they didn't want anything other than the books? Great idea on the silver. I think the younger generations don't like a lot of "stuff" and they have plenty of their own anyway.
What was, to me, hilarious, was my ex thought my oldest son, age 35 at the time didn’t know that he didn’t want the dainty floral China set from ex’s mom … so ex saved that for so I guess for when son would “wake up “ & realize he really did want this, uh, stuff, that couldn’t go in the dishwasher & had to be stored somewhere…
To answer your question, no, I wasn’t surprised they didn’t want the stuff. They wanted to start anew with their own stuff.
"“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,”"
If our treasure is Jesus, then we will be Matthew 25 sheep rather than goats. Not to say we won't screw up, after all sheep are known for excessive stupidity. Not having been given the ability to predict the future we still need to make decisions, based upon our trust in God; and our love for God; decisions which will be different for different folks. It is better to have been (past tense) the younger brother than TO BE the older brother.
But if our god (or treasure) is stuff and/or ourselves, our soul will expire upon our demise on this earth.
So while "the concepts can easily be discussed from a human perspective without needing a religious or spiritual element.", I wonder if the concepts are easily ignored from a human perspective. The "with wisdom and knowledge and skill” or as an expression of other positive attributes — creativity, compassion, patience, perseverance, humor " we exhibit: does it retain its value in this universe regardless of the ultimate outcome?
"I wonder if the concepts are easily ignored from a human perspective."
No doubt, but they're also easily ignored by people who profess religion.
All the good, created things - especially but not only other humans - are to be loved, but loved rightly, as not being the greatest good. All good acts, all that is done in and through Christ, can have lasting value both temporarily, since they can add to the ongoing good of this world, and in the new heavens and new earth to be inaugurated by Christ's return.
".... what we do “with wisdom and knowledge and skill” or as an expression of other positive attributes — creativity, compassion, patience, perseverance, humor — retains its value in the universe regardless of the ultimate outcome."
Yup.
This is a good Saturday morning thought to dwell on.